Up Davila!

Chile's second bloodless coup d'etat in a twelvemonth was staged last week by an able little editor with every consideration for the reporters concerned. Editor Carlos Guillermo Davila. who presently became Chile's Provisional President, was first to use North American headlines and newspaper makeup in Chile, also first to found in Chile a magazine resembling TIME, called Hoy ("Today"). Last week the new President's first act was to receive U. S. correspondents and soon afterward he dictated for U. S. consumption his first full-length interview. A good friend of President Karl Bickel of United Press, the natty little new Chilean President had no objection to the presence of three U. P. men in the Presidential Palace while the actual coup d'etat was taking place. Another U. P. man marched in the Big Parade which did not become a bloody revolution.

Step by step events have marched thus:

Senor Davila, who was sent to Washington in 1927 as Ambassador by Chile's reactionary onetime Dictator General Carlos Ibanez (TIME. Aug. 3), used to puzzle socialite guests at his vivacious dinner parties by introducing Socialist, even Bolshevist chit-chat while they feasted off his solid silver plates. The entire U. S. first heard of him when he was first to seat Mrs. Dolly Curtis Gann on a par with Vice President Curtis at a diplomatic dinner. When the Ibanez Government was overthrown last July, Senor Davila briskly quit Washington for Santiago. There he was persecuted and went into hiding. Month ago he put out advance notices of a bid for power by releasing to the Chilean people a Socialist manifesto 20.000 words long (TIME, May 16). Last week the climax came when Editor Davila & friends persuaded the military cadets of El Bosque School to march upon the Capital, encouraged by 25 military airplanes which zoomed overhead, dropped revolutionary leaflets. At once all street cars in Santiago stopped but the populace remained calm, almost apathetic.

Ultimatum. In the Presidential Palace sat Lawyer Juan Esteban Montero, elected last December for a six-year Presidential term. A messenger rushed in, told the President that if he did not resign in 20 minutes airplanes would bomb the Palace. The messenger was told to go to Hell. The 20 minutes passed and nothing happened. For six weary hours President Montero sat in the Presidential Palace, unharmed but receiving frequent messages that this or that garrison had refused to support him. Meanwhile the Big Parade marching in from El Bosque turned back for no explained reason. In the end Senor Davila and his military friends including Colonel Marmaduke Grove (a Chilean of Irish descent) simply walked into the office where the President sat with his Cabinet and there was talk:

Colonel Grove: Mr. President, we have come here to speak with you.

President Montero: I am listening.

Grove: With the support of civil and military elements we have come to establish a Republican-Socialist Government. I wish to inform you that you and your family will be treated with the utmost respect by the new Government, which offers you full guarantees.'

Montero (rising and preparing to quit the Palace) : I am already informed that the Santiago Garrison is not disposed to support my Administration. Consequently I cannot oppose your taking over the Government but I do not resign.

As he left the Palace, Lawyer Montero was cheered by parading lawyers, doctors, dentists and students, already demonstrating against the new regime.

24 Hours. Sole bloodshed was the killing of three civilians in a riot around a gasoline station. News that Senor Davila was now Provisional President was tame compared to a Governmental Manifesto, promptly issued and decidedly wild Irish. On its face this seemed to portend Socialization if not Bolshevization of all Chile, seemed to imperil U. S. & British investments totaling $1,000,000,000. But during the night--and U. S. Ambassador William Smith Gulbertson stayed up all night, telephoning, conferring, cabling the State Department--a change occurred.

President Davila, said everyone who talked to him. seemed to be incomparably less radical than the Government Manifesto. True, he spoke of "modifying Capitalism" in Chile and expressed an opinion that "the Capitalistic system is dying," but he added flatly, "we have no intention of molesting private property, either Chilean or foreign. Contracts and so forth will be respected as they have always been. The foreign debt situation stands as it has always stood."

Presently at the U. S. Embassy 25 prominent representatives of U. S. interests in Chile expressed the belief that "conditions have been so bad anyway of late that they can hardly get worse." Representatives of National City Bank and International Telephone & Telegraph conferred with President Davila and left him seemingly not downcast. Significantly the Moscow Press ever ready to exult at a blow to Capitalism anywhere, printed not a line about the Chilean upset. Most significant of all were the reactions of General Ibanez, ousted Chilean Dictator, now resident in Argentina.

When first told of the Socialist Manifesto and the coup d'etat of Carlos Davila who had been his Ambassador to Washington, grizzled General Ibanez snapped: "I am not involved in today's political developments which I greatly lament!"

Within 24 hours General Ibanez again received Argentine reporters, beamed, chuckled, "Excellent, excellent! I consider the composition of the new Chilean Government and the aims which it has declared to be excellent! I hope to return to Chile with my whole family."

Significance, General Ibanez was forced out as Dictator by a "middle class revolt" in which lawyers, doctors and professional men were conspicuous. Undoubtedly Depression made that Chilean upset possible. Since then Chilean exports have further fallen off, unemployment has increased and another coup d'etat was possible only under a label at least as pink as Socialism.

President Davila, a fun-loving Pink, may or may not be able to guide the forces of unrest he loosed in Chile. There were hourly rumors of a counter coup d'etat. Associated Press reported a counterrevolution in Southern Chile which United Press denied. Asked by reporters "Do you think the Chilean people are with you?" President Davila shot back: "They'd better be! If necessary my Government will act quickly."

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